diff --git a/cfg.mk b/cfg.mk
index dad8a9070f16206b18eb22831097ab6999f1e2d3..f86469de6ac9bc98fbdcf7e3d125bb9e0abd0611 100644
--- a/cfg.mk
+++ b/cfg.mk
@@ -851,6 +851,11 @@ sc_prohibit_unbounded_arrays_in_rpc:
 	halt='Arrays in XDR must have a upper limit set for <NNN>'	\
 	  $(_sc_search_regexp)
 
+sc_prohibit_getenv:
+	@prohibit='\b(secure_)?getenv *\('				\
+	exclude='exempt from syntax-check'				\
+	halt='Use virGetEnv{Allow,Block}SUID instead of getenv'		\
+	  $(_sc_search_regexp)
 
 # We don't use this feature of maint.mk.
 prev_version_file = /dev/null
@@ -1020,3 +1025,6 @@ exclude_file_name_regexp--sc_prohibit_include_public_headers_brackets = \
 
 exclude_file_name_regexp--sc_prohibit_int_ijk = \
   ^(src/remote_protocol-structs|src/remote/remote_protocol.x|cfg.mk|include/)$
+
+exclude_file_name_regexp--sc_prohibit_getenv = \
+  ^tests/.*\.[ch]$$
diff --git a/src/util/virutil.c b/src/util/virutil.c
index 405006c3db1423b4334136eb6ceddde125c9839f..043b31cf26b47e7d3b9719303221afdf98c2d1ef 100644
--- a/src/util/virutil.c
+++ b/src/util/virutil.c
@@ -2140,7 +2140,7 @@ cleanup:
  */
 const char *virGetEnvBlockSUID(const char *name)
 {
-    return secure_getenv(name);
+    return secure_getenv(name); /* exempt from syntax-check-rules */
 }
 
 
@@ -2154,7 +2154,7 @@ const char *virGetEnvBlockSUID(const char *name)
  */
 const char *virGetEnvAllowSUID(const char *name)
 {
-    return getenv(name);
+    return getenv(name); /* exempt from syntax-check-rules */
 }